Perfume for the Occasion: Halloween

Are you ready for some fun? This month, Perfume for the Occasion puts the focus on Halloween! Still unsure about the look you’re going to choose and the perfect perfume to go with it? No problem! Total Beauty has teamed up with the director of makeup artistry for MAC Cosmetics, the fabulous Gregory Artl, to give you step by step instructions on how to create several Halloween perfect looks, and Fragrance Bouquet is ready to dispense some cool ideas about the right perfume to go with each and every one of them! Each look is accompanied by close-up shots, but even more comprehensive are the videos. These might be slightly over the top Halloween looks, but as beauty savvy readers will know, looking at a master artist at work with his brushes and tools means we can pick up a lot of tips and tricks we can later apply in simpler, every day looks.


· Dita von Teese: A friend of mine recently had the opportunity to go to New York to interview Dita von Teese and she came back with a girl-crush, positively mesmerized. “She is just as fabulous and gorgeous in real life as she is in the pictures!” she related breathlessly. This wonderful classic pin-up look shows you how to recreate Dita’s signature make-up faultlessly! Add a bustier and high heels and you’re ready to go. But what about perfume? Voluptuous, intriguing and mouthwateringly curvaceous, the classic pin-up girl needs a grand oriental to complete her look. Guerlain’s Shalimar, Moschino de Moschino as well as the more gourmand Lolita by Lolita Lempicka are all excellent, sultry choices. You can view the video here.


· Sexy Kitten: I might disagree with the choice of lipstick (I would go with a dusty pink for light skin-tones and a brick or slightly brownish orange for black beauties), but the kitty-cat look is a classic for Halloween, considering how easy and cost-effective it is to put together: Ears, tail and a body-con bodysuit and you’re ready! (I’m guilty of using the same eyeliner technique when I go out clubbing some times, paired with gold eyeshadow to do an Egyptian-inspired makeup, by the way...) Perfume lovers who like a bit of skank in their juice will have no trouble finding appropriate scents for this look! Guerlain’s Pamplelune is famously (or should I say infamously?) controversial, with fans finding it sexy and intimate, while haters at the opposite camp find it pissy. For my part, there are only two perfumes I know of that growl and hiss and purr enough to remind me so much of cats that I had to mention them in the review: Both Parfumerie Generale’s Intrigant Patchouli and Montale’s Oud Ambre are feral felines for the brave. Watch the video here.



· Retro 60’s Girl: This Go Go Girl 60’s makeup is inspired directly by Twiggy’s inimitable look, and is my absolute favorite. I think it is so well done and successful! Not to mention that a slightly pared down version of this white & black eyeliner combo has constantly been cropping up in fashion shows and fashion magazine shoots since last year. Combine it with some retro clothes, or even some brand new Biba clothes – Twiggy’s favorite brand of that period which has recently been revived. If you are lucky enough to own some vintage Pucci Vivara, go ahead and use it with this look, since it is probably the most look appropriate. Alternatively, scents based around musk will do the trick just fine as well. Dig out your cheap thrills, like Alyssa Ashley’s Musk or Kiel’s Original Musk. For a chicer appeal, try Yves Saint Laurent’s Y or Lancome’s Climat. Watch the video here.


· Vampirella: Another look that’s incredibly easy to put together, since the make-up is the main focus. Add a beautiful cape and dress and you’re ready to go! The sexiest of the sexy vampire ladies wear Neil Morris’ Gotham, which is demanding, alluring and knock ‘em down sexy, but the truly dark, mysterious vampires wear Black Widow! Watch the video here.


· Twinkling Fairy: If you have the time and dedication to put together the elaborate, fancy outfit expected of a fairy, this is a great look to go with it. It might look garish in strong light, but when you arrive at the appropriately dimly lit party, you’ll be sure to sparkle. There is only one perfume that is ethereal and magnificent enough to be good enough for a fairy and that is Neil Morris’ Spectral Violet, which even managed to make me think of fairies when I first reviewed it, before I even had an inkling of adding it to this post. Another wonderful choice is Laura Biagiotti’s Laura, which is light, airy, abstractedly floral and wonderful in its own right. Watch the video here.